


One Fell Swoop

by Avarii



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Angst, F/M, Hurt/Comfort, Warrior Class Inquisitor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-01-07
Updated: 2015-01-06
Packaged: 2018-03-06 11:16:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,872
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3132479
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Avarii/pseuds/Avarii
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There was a thrill to battling alongside her, she was a force to be reckoned with, a wall that could not be knocked down by the strongest of men. But when all was said and done, that wall may crumble.</p>
            </blockquote>





	One Fell Swoop

 It wasn’t often that Cullen got to go out on the front lines. The Commander of an army was far too valuable an asset to send right into the thick of things, or so the other advisors claimed. A statement which he found ironic considering they frequently sent their most valuable asset, the Herald, to the front lines on nearly every mission she was sent on. But, try as he might argue that point, it was a fruitless effort on his part, and even Cullen knew that he could have more of an impact in the War Room than on the battlefield. However, this was a unique situation indeed that required his expertise on the field.

 

The Inquisition had received a missive from one of Leliana’s agents in Crestwood a little over a week ago. There had been reports of templars from outside Ferelden in the area prior to this, however, the missive discussed of negotiations between the templars entering the region and the Venatori already occupying the area. Their mission here was to disrupt the negotiations and rid the area of the Venatori presence. A pretty straightforward mission, if only things were that simple.

As fate would have it, these templars hail from Kirkwall. These were men and women who Cullen had trained and lived amongst, went out drinking with and patrolled with. These templars had firsthand witnessed the mage uprising and Knight-Commander Meredith’s corruption at the hands of Red Lyrium, so when he had found out they were siding with Corypheus’ men, the Commander insisted upon joining the Inquisitor on her quest. He had hoped that their former Knight-Captain might be able to knock some sense into them.

And so here they were, outside of a compound on the East Side Hills with Blackwall, Solas, and Varric at either side, Aislin Trevelyan just in front of him. They were on a hill outside of the compound, scouting the interior, but still far away enough to be undetected.

“It’s odd, isn’t it?” Varric’s voice turned Cullen’s attention away from his scouting, and at first Cullen wasn’t sure if the dwarf was even talking to him. He and Varric hardly spoke, although not for lack of trying on the dwarf’s part. But Varric continued speaking as he was wont to do. “I remember a few of those templars in there from the Hanged Man. It’s almost nice, like a taste of home, even if they  _are_  about to be corrupted by Red Lyrium.”

Cullen snorted, “And here I thought Kirkwall and Red Lyrium went hand in hand?”

“Point.” Varric assented, giving the Commander a nod as if he passed some sort of test Cullen were unaware of.

There was a lull in the conversation as they all strapped on their armor, ready to storm the compound. He looked towards the Inquisitor, two-handed sword strapped to her back and nearly as big as she. The Commander often wondered how such a small woman could wield such a massive weapon, but the woman was a tank on the battlefield, battering down several enemies and swinging the sword as if it were as light as a feather. It was truly a feat to behold.

Cullen didn’t realize he was staring until her eyes met his own. She smiled slightly, and the ex-templar had to resist the childish urge to look away at the sight as his cheeks reddened in embarrassment at being caught looking at her. He must have not been as discrete as he would have liked because he heard Varric’s deep laugh behind him, likely at his expense.

Cullen cleared his throat nervously before speaking. “Are we about ready to begin, Inquisitor?” He spoke, his tone taking on a more professional tone than before.

She nodded, with a glance towards the compound before glancing at him once more. She must have caught the hesitation in his eyes for she smiled reassuringly, uncharacteristically serious. “Don’t worry, Cullen. They’ll see reason,” she assured. And Maker, he hoped she was right because striking down his former men and women in arms was not something he much cared to do. Cullen was a Commander of a powerful army, though, and he  _was_ prepared to do what was necessary, but if more bloodshed could possibly be avoided..

He didn’t have time to finish the thought as he noticed the Inquisitor strolling towards the Venatori compound, casually as if she were out for a morning walk.

“What does she think she’s doing?” The Commander hissed at Varric as he quickly got his shield in position.

Varric laughed, “Crashing the party.”

He watched, dumbfounded, as he neared the Inquisitor as she approached the front gates and bloody _knocked_  on it like she were visiting a neighbor or selling baked goods. Maker, the  _gall_ of this woman. The gate opened and a confused guard stepped out, poor bloke likely on patrol. Before he even had time to react, Aislin lifted the hilt of her sword and sent a pommel strike directly to the man’s temple, knocking him out effectively.

“Sorry I’m late,” she declared, and Cullen firmly believed that Varric’s tendency for witty one-liners was beginning to rub off on her.

Yelling came from inside the compound and a bell began ringing. The Inquisitor let out a war cry and charged inside, he and Blackwall at her back and Solas and Varric taking up the rear. The Venatori wasted no time in sending their men right into battle, Red Lyrium coursing through their veins. The templars looked confused, unsure of what was happening and just who was attacking. Although Cullen considered it a small victory that they weren’t immediately attacking  _them_.

The ex-templar deflected a blow from a Venatori Brute, training sessions with Aislin making him long accustomed to fighting against those with two-handed weapons. He had his shield take the brunt of the impact above his head and spread his feet to distribute the weight. _It’ll prevent you from staggering_ , the Inquisitor’s voice in his head told him. And she was right. He was able to shrug off the attack, whilst the brute still moved forward from the momentum of his war hammer. Cullen sidestepped to the right, the shield in his left hand between him and the brute and his right sword arm arcing above him to land a killing a blow.

The Red Templars were beginning to flood in now, men and women of the order long corrupted by Red Lyrium and barely human. He could see horror dawn upon the faces of the Kirkwall templars as they realized those were fellow soldiers of the Order. The Inquisitor moved in front of them, Cullen following suit to defend the templars.

“These Tevinters are  _not_ your allies!” She called behind her as she knocked down a Venatori agent.

“ _Maker,_  it’s the Herald of Andraste!” One of the templars exclaimed from behind. “ _And_ Knight-Captain Cullen?!” Cullen cursed inwardly. The group was confused, horrified by what they’ve seen and unsure who to fight for – those who they were negotiating with or those familiar faces coming to their aid.

As if answering his thoughts, Solas cast an ice wall as a blockade. Large spikes of ice rose from the ground, successfully holding back the enemy for the time being. Blackwall fell back to catch his breath, and the Inquisitor stepped forward. Solas touched a hand to her arm and Cullen tried not to bristle at the sight. “I have bought us but a few moments. Say what you need to say, but make it quick, I do not have the energy to cast another wall.”

Aislin nodded, facing the templars for the first time to address them directly. “You may not know who I am —”

“You’re the Inquisitor!” A man –  _Brennan_ , Cullen’s mind supplied for him – spoke up in wonder.

“Or you might know exactly who I am,” she finished with a sigh. “But I’m not here on behalf of the Inquisition. I am here on behalf of my… companion,” she spoke with a gesture towards Cullen and a sheepish smile.

“So it  _is_ you, Knight-Captain.” Ada, one of his former recruits spoke up.

“I go by Commander these days,” he said with a smirk, but his face grew serious once more. “We’ll discuss later exactly  _why_ the templars of Kirkwall are making a deal with Venatori, but first,” a shattering of ice sounded behind them. The enemy must have broken through the first layer of Solas’ fortification. “But first, we have to take down what’s on the other side of that wall.”

Ada stepped forward, “We would follow you to the Fade itself, Commander.” The rest of the men and women let out a chorus of “aye” and Cullen felt as if he could take on a whole army.

The moment was slightly dampened by the sound of Varric’s deep belly-aching laugh. “Don’t say that in front of our Herald here, or she might make good on that promise.”

“I’m glad we’re all friends now, but I would be even happier if you lot would draw your weapons,” the Inquisitor spoke through clenched teeth as she spread her weight between her feet, her Claymore held between her two hands in a tight grip.

“Be ready now,” Blackwall stood beside her, shield out as the ice wall finally began to crumble. Solas fell back behind the Warden and cast an inferno spell over the enemies, burning several of them. A surge of heat could be felt as the flames ignited, thwarted mostly by Blackwall’s and his shield, although Aislin was unperturbed as she charged ahead anyways, paying no mind to the embers clinging to the ground around her as she swung her sword.

Several enemies fell at one mighty swing from her sword, and Cullen used that chance to move to her right, flanking the enemy. The sound of a war cry sounded from behind, and Cullen spotted the templars charging ahead, the archers seeking high ground to snipe the enemy. If they weren’t currently saving them from becoming Red Lyrium slaves to Corypheus, the Commander would have felt quite proud at all the progress they’ve made as soldiers.

Cullen parried a blow aimed at him from a Red Templar and bashed the man with his shield, knocking him to the ground. It was a hit from Aislin’s sword that made sure he stayed on the ground. The pair locked eyes, and he felt the rush of battle even all the more thrilling with her at his side.

He broke eye contact to fall back towards where a few of their templar marksmen were being cornered by Venatori. Cullen placed himself in front of them, stopping their advance. The Venatori’s numbers were dwindling, and Cullen could practically taste victory on his tongue.

Until the sound of a horn echoed from the ramparts. “Reinforcements!” Blackwall yelled.

“Damn,” the Inquisitor swore, as she struck down the last Venatori in her area alongside Ada, the templar from before. “Solas, cast some defensive glyphs on the entrance to the gates and fall back. Varric, I want you alongside the marksmen, on higher ground, knock the ladder down. Blackwall, Cullen, you’re charging with me. Charge with your shields, not your swords, got it?” she ordered, and Cullen couldn’t help but admire the way she lead around the battlefield. She truly was a force to be reckoned with and it was no wonder others looked to her to lead them in the heat of battle.

“Aye, Inquisitor,” Blackwall and Cullen said in unison before putting their shield arm ahead, and turning their body side-face.

Within moments hordes of Venatori and Red Templars began storming the compound and Aislin wasted no time in charging forward. She swung her sword in an arc, knocking down any enemies that surrounded her and dealing a mighty blow to sufficiently keep them down before moving onto the next group.

Cullen knocked down yet another foe and began to catch his breath for a few seconds as he and Blackwall had cleared the enemies nearest the gate. He turned to check on the rest of the team and the templars. Varric, being the deviant he was, did not follow Aislin’s orders to knock the ladder down and instead picked off any enemies one by one as they tried to approach the range-weaponed soldiers. Solas had cast a protective barrier around some of the unarmed templars, and the Commander was surprised at the kindness of an apostate towards what many viewed as their oppressors. Ada and Brennan, the templars from before were fighting side-by-side, seeming to have control of the situation.

That is, until a Behemoth began to flank them. Cullen yelled in warning and rushed forward as Ada turned as she realized a second too late that the Behemoth was upon her. She began to lift her sword, but even Cullen knew she would not catch it in time to stop the direct blow. Apparently, though, he had not been the only one to notice, for in a flash, the Inquisitor was between the Red Templar and the other, taking most of the blow in the gut with an “oof!” and parrying the rest with her blade.

The Commander wasted no time reaching her side, as he bashed in the head of Behemoth with the brunt of his shield and buried his blade in its head (or where the abomination’s head should be). “Aislin,” he yelled as he rushed over, panic settling in as he watched how she clutched at her side. Ada stood by stunned for a moment, before regaining her resolve and joining Blackwall and Brennan at keeping the enemies at bay whilst Cullen checked on the Inquisitor.

“I’m alright, Cullen, really,” she tried to assure him, but he was having none of it. “It’s just a scratch.”

“Aislin, you took a warhammer to your side,” he stated, eying her doubtfully and she smiled at him sheepishly.

“I can take a lot of shit,” she said all too arrogantly, and Cullen was reassured that she might be alright after all if she could still manage to banter like that. She removed her hand from her side, however, and Cullen’s eyes narrowed at the sight of the blood oozing from the chink in her armor. She must have noticed his look too, for she raised her other hand to cup his cheek and looked him in the eye. “I’m  _fine,_ ” she insisted. “That thing pierced my armor, and I got a flesh wound we’ll deal with later. But for now, there’s still a battle to be won and people to save.”

The Commander looked at her, he debated whether or not to fight her on this, but knew that taking her out of the battle would be a selfish command on his part, nothing more than a pressing need to keep the woman he loved safe and not the command of a Commander making the best decision for his soldiers. She was a capable warrior after all, an asset on the battlefield that could not be lost, and had the strength and skill of ten men combined, even when injured. So instead of fighting her on the matter, he hugged her close for a moment, pressing a light kiss onto the top of her head. “Be safe,” he whispered into her hair, and he could feel her nod against his chest before he reluctantly let her go.

“If you two lovebirds are quite done,” Blackwall called, “we could use some help.”

“Aye!” Aislin yelled giving Blackwall a mock salute. And as if completely disregarding the words he had just whispered to her, she charged forward with a battle cry that shook the enemies’ resolve as she broke through their frontal assault and knocked several men down with one fell swoop.  _Maker_ , the woman wasted no time.

If anything she was tearing through them faster than before, a determination and desperation he had not seen in her yet. Two-handed warriors were never the fastest bunch, but he was stunned at the way in which she was able to counter blows and use their attacks to her advantage, the way she overpowered several enemies at once. It was truly a sight to behold, although Cullen did his best not to get distracted as he had his own enemies to take care of.

He wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but finally, as he pulled his blade out of the last man, it seemed that the coast was clear and the Venatori presence had been eliminated from the area. Cullen put his sword back in his scabbard, strapping his shield to his back as the adrenaline from the fight was beginning to wind down. His eyes met Aislin’s a few feet away from him, and even covered in blood, she was still a sight to behold. She gave him a shaky smile as he approached, and stuck her sword in the ground as she leaned her weight onto it.

“So, Commander, would you say the area is safe now?” She asked, a teasing smile on her lips.

“I would say so, Inquisitor,” he replied back, a smirk of his own.

“Good – that’s good,” were the last words past her lips before she promptly passed out. 


End file.
